Managing your own business can be challenging, but when you choose the right POS system, you can make your job much easier. Every successful restaurant and retail business uses a POS system to help them streamline their business operations. From allowing for customer transactions to keeping track of inventory to handling payroll, a reliable POS system is what can take your business to the next level of efficiency.
A POS system is made up of software and hardware. The software is the suite of programs that runs all the processes that a POS system provides. The hardware are the physical elements that allow you to use the POS system – cash drawer, credit card reader, printer etc. When you connect the software to the hardware, you have your fully operational POS system.
All business types use a POS system. POS systems are typically broken down into 3 categories – Retail, Quick Serve, and Restaurants.
There are also POS systems that can manage things outside these 3 traditional categories – businesses such as golf courses, amusement parks, museums, and concert venues also use POS systems, and some POS brands can support them. For example, Lightspeed POS can support golf courses while Korona POS can support amusement park ticketing and event management.
If you look at our comparison above, you can browse through our different featured POS systems to see their pros and cons and how they differ from each other. In general, though, POS systems can differ in the types of services they cover. For example, Square POS supports the Retail, Quick Serve, and Restaurant categories whereas Toast POS focuses on Quick Serve and Restaurant. But the biggest difference can be found when you dig deeper into the pricing and features of each particular POS. Some might have higher monthly costs, some might have extra features that cost more, and when it comes to hardware (like credit card readers and cash drawers), prices can differ greatly. Accessibility also differs between brands – some work on mobile and some do not. Some work on iPad only while others work on any device across any operating system.
Determining the right POS system for your business will require you to take all these factors into consideration so you can figure out which POS system provides the right mix of price and features to suite your needs.
Browse our featured POS partners and visit their sites to learn more about how they can help you achieve your business goals: